Let's play a little game
by blacksmiley
Summary: It seems like the Joker's relationship with Harley is not happily embraced by everyone, but will this news affect Gotham's greatest villain?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! This is the first time I publish here (or anywhere else, because I am mainly a visual artist not a writer XD). I would really appreciate feedback! Other than that, I hope you enjoy the start of my little story! (P.S. English is not my native language, so please excuse the grammar mistakes and if you wish to, you can point them out to me ^_^)**

The Joker decided to surprise someone with a visit at the bar that evening, so he walked in carelessly, searching for the man in charge. He spotted the back of his head at a table far in the back, so he made his way in, all by himself, trying to escape the eyes of the rest that were sitting at the table and could spot him.

He made the others a short sign with his finger at his lips, over a wide grin, and covered with his other hand and part of his forearm the man's eyes as soon as he was alerted by the rest's curious eyes staring over him.

"Well.. Well.. Well.. Didn't expect this to happen, did you?" He spoke on a clear tone, pointing a gun at the other's temple, its barrel touching his now sweating face. "I didn't expect you to be elsewhere than planned either, so I guess this makes it even, but let's play a little game while we're here. I give you three chances to guess who's behind this charming voice.. However! I'm not guaranteeing all of them.."

He stopped with a grin and played a little with the trigger, making some at the table gasp silently, while the one involved moved a bit in his seat, still very tensioned, with cold sweat rolling down his forehead.

"Let's begin! Your first guess!" He smiled down at the sitting man. "I am so kind that I decided to give you the possibility to ask me for a clue!"

"How did you know I am here..?" He rushes and asked a bit unsure of the choice of his question.

"Why, that is an easy one that might not help you much.." He tried to act disappointed of the other's choice. "You just posted a picture of yourself and tagged the place. I only happened to be nearby and decided to drop off for a visit. So your first guess is..?"

"I.. Well I don't.." The man started, but got interrupted suddenly by the sound of the pulled trigger, which made a woman from the other side of the table jump with a loud scream.

"Tz.. Tz.. The clock ticks. You can't keep on guessing all night long! But the good news is that you wasted a try successfully! Next!" He cheered loudly, making others around them watch the scene as well, by now being recognized by everyone apart from the blinded man in cause.

The other reached for the hand covering his eyes, touching it lightly as his fingers trembled crazily.

"Your voice sounds of a man, but the fingers and wrist are covered with jewelry.."

The other one gasped at the remark, detaching the gun to take the hand at his chest, looking affected by the words.

"My dear friend! This is 2016! Don't you know that gender questions are damn contested and always raise offense! What a pity.." He stopped to put again the gun at the man's temple and pulled the trigger as soon as it touched his skin, but without an outcome for the second time as well.

"The second try is wasted successfully." He cheered rather disappointed. "Alright. Last one. No clues, no nothing is left on you, apart from the bullet that might be already trembling furiously on the barrel, waiting to be shot."

His remark made the woman that screamed earlier faint and get carried out by the other two men next to her, leaving at the table only the Joker and his playmate.

"Some really can't stand pressure." He shrugged as he watched them leave. "Come on, Charlie. Last try!"

"It's you!" He jumped from his seat after finally recognizing the voice, now facing the Joker, who started to clap, slapping the loaded gun as he did it.

"Remarkable. But you cheated!" He pointed the gun at the man and pulled the trigger, which proved itself to be empty again.

"What a lucky bastard you are tonight, Charlie.. Three in a row!"

"Why did you brought the masquerade here?" The man lowered his tone, holding his hands in the air defensively, while his whole body trembled uncontrollably.

"Because you refused to join me where I invited you to! You're such a rude, disrespectful man lately.. What happened to our precious friendship?!" He pulled the trigger again for more than once, wasting all possible bullets, and yet none, but the sound was enough to make all people in the bar leave only them behind, while the man kept screaming in fear beneath the loud gunshots and metallic chairs scratching on the floor. The Joker tossed away angrily the empty gun, and pushed the other against the closest wall, their foreheads now touching, as he spoke nearly in a whisper.

"Harley, happened, man. Harley!" The other yelled desperate, making the Joker step behind and look at him surprised.

"What does she have to do with us?"

"She has much to do! Your focus rather shifted on her than anything else and many things now spin around her!"

"So.. My woman is a problem to you?" He narrowed his eyes, taking a hand behind his back, slowly grabbing the second gun.

"She is! I mean, no! Not she.. You are the problem! You-"

"Oh, so now we're both a problem? Well, who would need problems in their lives.. Right, Charlie?"

The man nodded a bit unsure, smiling nervously and hoping that he made the other understand his concerns, but soon after he received a bullet in his head, sliding slowly against the wall to the floor, as shooter looked at him with disgust.

"You're the problem, Charlie. You've always been, but I needed the right time to get rid of you." He added, and after taking back his other gun, left the bar, humming a song silently.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the feedback! I hope you will enjoy the update!**

By the time he got back home, which was improperly called so, since it was only a temporary hideout in an abandoned block of flats, somewhere in Gotham suburbs, he got welcomed by Harley, who was as happy as a dog, jumping around, tangling her arms around his neck eventually to place small smooches on his cheek as he walked silently straight to the sofa.

"Not quite a bundle of joy today, are you puddin?" The girl placed her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at him, as she stood before the sofa he was now sitting on lazily, yet wearing a thoughtful face.

"Not to mention that you left without me!" She pouted, giving him puppy eyes, but he remained silent, his thoughts still elsewhere from her rant.

"Oh, come on.. Answer me already!"

Harley leaned and pressed her palms with a loud slapping sound on his knees, finally meeting his eyes. However she got pushed away immediately after, hitting her back against the coffee table, full of empty paper cups and cigarette leftovers, ending on the floor with a small whine.

"Ohhh, Mr. J.. That hurt.." She frowned with pain, still massaging her lower back, sitting up on her knees now.

"Harley.." He finally spoke, and despite his silent, grave tone, the girl lifted her eyes, nearly sparkling with joy that he finally said something to her.

"Yes, Mr. J?"

"Are you a problem?" He gave her a questioning look.

"I am afraid I don't understand the question, Mr. -…"

But before she was able to finish, she found herself chocked by the other's hand, pulling her up and closer to him, their faces being now only inches apart. The Joker's hoarse breathing was the only thing she was left to hear, since everything around them seemed to be silenced. He kept looking at her thoughtfully, but she started to pull onto his hand, begging only with her look for the release, which made him push her away, slamming her once more against the table.

Harley touched her neck carefully, catching back her breath and following the man with her eyes, as he got up and started pacing the room, looking more tensed with each step he took as if he were to burst into a loud rage any moment, thing which eventually happened.

"I don't know how I've been so blind! You!" He stopped, pointing a finger at her. "You pull me down, Harley!"

"But Mr. J!" She finally protested, still sitting on the floor, with tears already filling her eyes.

"We need! No.. I need." He paused thoughtful. "I need a break! I have a reputation to keep and a bat to annoy!" And after he said it, he loaded back his gun, putting it back at his chest, then stormed out from the room, leaving Harley stare after him with tears rolling down her cheeks and lips parted in shock.

The girl got up on her feet shortly after and rushed to the door, but she heard from outside the roaring engine of his car and realized it was too late, so she hurried to the nearest window and pushed away the dirty curtain, watching the car disappearing into the night.

"What did I do this time?!"

She said to herself, shrugging slightly, then wiped away her tears and threw herself on the sofa he sat on, taking a deep breath of the cologne scent that still lingered around and leaving out a long sigh as she started to play with her hair, looking absently at the window, expecting to hear the car returning, as it usually happened. Whenever they had a fight, the Joker would leave the house to let the waters cool down, before one of them would do something to be sorry for after. However, he was usually back between minutes or not even, since he most of the times reached only the end of the street and returned with a loud brake sound.

This time however not only minutes passed, but hours, and Harley was long asleep when a loud sound made a window breaking, woke her up startled. She peeked around through the darkness, as no light was left on.

"J..?" She asked a bit unsure, knowing that it wasn't really his style to get in through the second floor window. Harley then heard the Joker's men shooting downstairs, but before she reached the door, holding a gun, ready to defend herself while checking what was going on, everything went silent again. She cracked the door open a bit, but got pushed from outside, by a shadow as it seemed at first sight.

"What.. Oh!" She gasped loudly, nearly dropping the gun, then pointing it ahead of her as she stepped behind slowly. "Go away or Mr. J will be mad to find you here, upsetting his dear Harley!"

"Where is he?" Batman spoke on his usual tone, scouting around with his eyes, still approaching the other, catching her as she hit the table, accidentally shooting the ceiling while she nearly fell.

"Oh, Batsy.." She grinned, leaning a bit backwards, as her waist was now being held by his arm. "Nice reflexes.. But you didn't see this one coming!" She snarled and all of a sudden hit him with the back of the gun, managing to release herself and run down the stairs. She could hear Batman already following her by the time she reached the house entrance, stepping over the beaten bodies of the rest, so she rushed outside where she got blinded by the bright lights of a car and got knocked off by it right after.


	3. Chapter 3

**A smaller update this time, but I really like to keep it organised on events rather than quantity. Enjoy and thank you again for the support and feedback! ^_^**

However, when Batman reached the front of the old house, there was no sign of Harley, nor of the car that crashed her, even if he didn't knew about it. Shortly after, Gordon and few other cops showed up, looking around cautious.

"Gone.." Batman snarled.

"Both?" Gordon asked, playing nervously with the keys in his pocket.

"Joker wasn't even here. Or at least that's what Harley said.."

"They must have been warned.. We'll take these guys at the station and see what we can get." He glanced at the other cops carrying inside a police van the men beaten earlier by Batman, but when he turned back around, expecting the other to add something else to his words he noticed he was gone.

"I don't know why I expected you to be still here." He added peeking a bit through the darkness, then shrugged to self and went inside the house to look after eventual clues that might help.

It was a matter of minutes for Batman to get on the top of the highest building nearby and scout the surroundings. Luckily enough it didn't take him long to locate the Joker's car either, which was of a bright purple, easy to spot at any time of the day or night. The car was actually rushing back to the house as it seemed, so he decided to welcome the Joker long before reaching the cops. They both preferred to deal with such problems without other interferences.

"What in the..?!" Joker started, pulling the wheel aggressively as Batman landed right on the hood of his car, startling him. The car stopped in a nearby entrance between two buildings, nearly crushing into a wall and kicking some trash beans on its way. He got pulled out from the car, through the driver's seat window, then pushed and held against the door.

"Batman.." He smiled widely at the other, casually dusting off his chest. "I actually looked for you this evening, but you came too late."

"Too late for what?" He asked, then peeked into the car, and around a bit, making the Joker give him a look mixed with disgust and annoyance.

"I'm alone if that's what your eyes are scouting."

"Too late for what?!" He repeated the question, shaking the other a bit, pushing him harder against the car, causing him to moan with a laughter.

"I only wanted to have some fun.. Like the old times. You see.. I needed a break."

"A break?"

If Joker couldn't see the other's face, but he could swear he rose his eyebrows questioningly, because his tone was rather surprised now, more than angry or interrogative, as it was at first.

"Yes, well.. You see. I had a talk this evening with a friend."

"You have no friends." Batman interrupted, making the other roll his eyes.

"Fine, a business partner! And he said that Harley made me change or.. something among those lines. So I decided to take a break and check if it feels any different without her or not." He end up by shrugging.

"Harley was home, and threatened me with your return."

"Oh, snap.. You found our house again.." He muttered, looking elsewhere now.

"She left and I thought you two had a rendezvous." He went on, releasing the Joker from his grip. The other arranged his suit coat, replying on a silent, annoyed tone, more to self.

"That bitch.. Causing me trouble now."

"Bitch or not, she's your responsibility. That girl is dangerous to both herself and others around her." He frowned, grabbing Joker's chin, turning his face so their eyes would meet again, but he got slapped off as the grip wasn't that tight.

"She's not a child and not mine surely."

"You made her." He snarled, more annoyed with each word.

"Uh-uh.. Tsk Tsk…" He moved a finger before the other's face disapprovingly, nearly touching his nose.

"You're wrong on this one, Batman. She fell in love with me all by herself. As far as I am aware of, I can't make any love potions. Besides, I never requested a pet, it just happened." He shrugged and when Batman wanted to grab him again, he managed to slide away from his grip, and with a large grin and a quick move, he took out a small toxic bomb, throwing it at the bat and pushing him away as he coughed, taken by surprise by the bomb. The Joker took this as an advantage and it was only a matter of seconds until he left again with the car, laughing crazily while the other was trying to catch back his breath.


End file.
